Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar called protests against the CEC an attempt to ‘destabilise’ the nation. Meanwhile, Delhi Police detained hundreds, including CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, Arvind Kejriwal, and AISA leader Neha Bora amid the demonstrations.
Protests ‘Attempt to Destabilise’ India: Sukanta Majumdar
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar on Saturday said that the protests against the Chief Election Commisioner are an attempt to “destabilise” the nation, targeting the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) over “funding”.
Speaking to reporters, Majumdar said, “The movement is an attempt to destabilise the country. Our opposition party leaders have such stained faces that they can’t come forward… Everyone knows where CJP is getting its funding and strength from.”
This comes after Delhi police detained hundreds of protestors in the national capital, including CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and activists, ahead of their proposed protest against the CEC amid the row of Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
‘Arrest Us All’: Rahul Gandhi Dares PM Modi Over Detentions
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday, challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to arrest all the protesters, asserting that they will continue their fight to defend the Constitution and protect the voice of the Indian people. He also expressed solidarity with the protesting youth and urged them to continue their demonstrations.
In a post on X, Gandhi said he had been fighting PM Modi and the RSS for over a decade and claimed to understand his political opponents “inside out”.
“I’ve been fighting Narendra Modi and the RSS for over a decade now. I understand them like you would understand your opponent – inside out, like the back of my hand. The core characteristic of these people is cowardice. Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Mohan Bhagwat, Gyanesh Kumar and Ajit Doval, the villains of this story, are slowly finding the space closing around them. We are closing that space. Mr. Modi, do whatever you want. Call out all the police: 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, whatever you want. Arrest all the leaders. Arrest all the young people. Arrest us all”, Gandhi said.
He further asserted that his side already had the information needed and vowed to defend the Constitution and protect the voice of the Indian people.”We are surrounding you, and we are not going to back down. Mark my words: we already have the information we need. We are going to defend our Constitution. We are going to protect the voice of the Indian people. And we are going to ensure that what was done to India over the last 10-15 years will never, ever be done again. Youth of India, I am proud of you. Keep protesting. We are standing with you. We are going to ensure that this regime and the people who have attacked our Constitution are defeated”, he said.
Other Opposition Leaders Detained, Allege Mistreatment
AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and All India Students’ Association (AISA) leader Neha Bora were also detained amid protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also claimed she and her party leaders were “kidnapped” by police and “driven around in a prison van for two hours” before being brought to Dwarka North Police Station.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)